South Carolina: Gateway To The Republican Presidential Nomination

“As goes South Carolina, so goes the rest of the South.” Those were the words of late South Carolina GOP Chairman Dan Ross in 1979 when the South Carolina Republican Party officially established its presidential primary beginning in 1980.

Since then, and with every presidential election cycle since, South Carolina has always gotten it right. They got it right when Ronald Reagan defeated John Connally in 1980, when George Bush defeated Pat Robertson after his surprise Iowa caucus win in 1988, when Bob Dole stopped Pat Buchanan following his New Hampshire primary win in 1996, when George W. Bush defeated John McCain in 2000, and when John McCain beat back a challenge from Mike Huckabee in 2008.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, close to 500,000 South Carolinians will go to the polls to make their choice for president. When the South Carolina GOP Presidential Primary was established, South Carolina was still largely a Democratic state, especially at the state level.

The presidential primary was envisioned as a way to build the Republican Party at the grass roots level. In addition, by having the primary on a Saturday, we called it the “Working People’s Primary,” as there should be little excuse for not voting.

Since that time, South Carolina primary voters have taken this responsibility seriously. Most voters in the Palmetto State adhere to a brand of populist conservatism that subscribes to the old Ronald Reagan adage – “Vote for the most conservative candidate who can win.” This primary is shaping up to be just as exciting and decisive as South Carolina’s past GOP presidential primaries.

Read More at Fox News By Van Hipp, Fox News